David Bowie

David Bowie was born on 8 January 1947 at 9am (Rodden Rating: A; Collector: Rodden) with Jupiter in Scorpio and Saturn in Leo. 

For a man who surprised everyone to the very end, appropriately enough his ascendant is in Aquarius, ruled by Uranus, the only planet in the northern hemisphere of his chart and the tip of a yod with Jupiter and a Sun/Mars conjunction. As he once said: “I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human. I felt very puny as a human. I thought, “Fuck that. I want to be a superhuman.”

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Back to Bowie and Jupiter!

Jupiter indicates how we grow through learning. As I wrote in “Growing Pains” for Jupiter in Scorpio:

“These pupils have a very good grasp of human psychology from an early age and will have no problem in using it to their advantage if it means they don’t have to learn what you want them to learn. By the age of six, the very last thing they will want to do is sit on a carpet because you want them to learn letters and phonics. So you have to get them to see the advantage of reading and writing by making them want to learn. Show them some graphic novels or books about horror movies. Convince them that knowledge is power early and they will begin to understand that the more they learn, they more they need to learn about the world and how it works.” You think his talents were about him–no, he understood (even though he denied trying to) what we, the collective audience, wanted to listen to.

Saturn in Leo

Luckily for us, David was fortunate enough to have had teachers who encouraged his creativity. Saturn in Leo children, as I wrote in “Growing Pains”:

“They may be the smartest kids in the school but they need to hear you say that. Often. It can be very difficult to get these pupils to try something different, because they are paralysed by the shame of looking ridiculous in front of you, their peers, their parents, other teachers, David Cameron, Bob Dylan, or His Divine Holiness Lord Krishna Himself. For these pupils, life is lived out on the world stage and is therefore up for scrutiny by anyone who happens to be passing by even if no-one is paying any particular attention.” His musical talents were recognised as being “above average”a compliment that no doubt would have stroked a potentially vulnerable ego. He has said that as an adolescent, he created different disguises to cope with the terror of playing his own music.

At his waxing Jupiter square in at the age of 9, it was noticed that he had an “astonishing” and “vividly artistic” dancing abilities as Jupiter transited his planets in Leo. His father introduced him to American artists such as Fats Domino, Elvis Presley and Little Richard, influences that made a huge impact on his growing mind.

Jupiter Return

Although David “failed” the 11+ exam at his Jupiter return, it did not stop him from being enrolled at a comprehensive school noted for its emphasis in the arts. He was encouraged by a tutor whose son, Peter Frampton, became David’s partner for a full Saturn cycle.

David’s mother gave him a plastic saxophone in the years during rapid brain development, just after the first Jupiter return but before the first Saturn opposition in 1961. The following year, the year he had three Saturn oppositions (owing to retrograde motion), he bought a real saxophone and formed his first band, The Konrads and performed at various functions

Despite the implied eccentricity of the yod configuration, he also has the Moon in Leo conjunct both Saturn–the co-ruler of his chart–and Pluto very near his descendant. It would appear he would attract people who would try to impose their restrictions on his talents.  He wouldn’t have any of this thing called “imitations” and throughout his career changed his appearance, his sexuality and his musical style so often, it’s hard to keep up with him. Unsurprisingly, with both Jupiter and Uranus so prominent in his chart, he became known as a “trailblazer” in both music and fashion.

Marriage

On 19 March 1970, he married his first wife Angie as Jupiter transited Chiron and Neptune transited his Venus. According to his biographer, he and Angie lived in a bi-sexual fanasty world. Which rather suits the transits at the time. In 1992, he married Somalian (I mention her ethnicity for a reason) model Iman as Pluto transited his natal Jupiter, thus transcending another limitation, this time of race and culture. Modern Love indeed!

Those of us who are gutted about the news of David’s death from cancer today can take comfort in the fact that transiting Jupiter was opposite his Progressed Sun along the transiting Nodal axis and Pluto was transiting his natal Mars–inconjunct his natal Uranus. It’s the ultimate of Ch-ch-ch-changes:

“…and these children that you spit on, as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They’re quite aware of what they’re going through…”